Monsters vs. Aliens

The Japanese taught us long ago—and the producers of Alien vs. Predator reminded us more recently—that the only thing better than a car chase is when two giant freakish creatures do battle. DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens seems to have been created as a specific response to that premise. The monsters in this case are a giant blue blob named B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) that has gained sentience if not necessarily intelligence; The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a lady-loving swamp thing who was thawed after spending a few millennia on ice; Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a mad scientist who transformed himself into a cockroach so that he’d be able to survive any impending holocausts; and Insectosaurus, a grub that got trapped inside a nuclear reactor and grew to be the size of a tall building. The latter gets the most Mothra vs. Godzilla-like screen time, battling an alien robot with the Golden Gate Bridge caught in the middle.

General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) promises the monsters freedom
in exchange for their help in fighting off the invaders.

The
security vs. freedom themes are jettisoned half-way through the film in
favor of women’s liberation, as Susan realizes that Derek saw her more
as a mascot for his career rather than a partner capable of her own
greatness. But mostly the film is just lightweight amusement, giving
kids exactly what they might ask for and not much more. There are funny
moments for both kids and grown-ups thanks to a well-chosen cast of
comic all-stars, particularly Rogen and Stephen Colbert, who lends his Colbert Report
persona to the character of President Hathaway. The action sequences
are designed for maximum 3-D pop (even though I saw it on a 2-D
screen). The bad guys feel disposable (clones, robots and a supremely
evil puppetmaster), so the violence is slapstick. And with monsters,
aliens and robots, the merchandising should make a killing.